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Dig a test hole before you buy your posts. The deeper you can set them, the better. Hope for 4' deep. My bedrock is only 2' down where I set one pole in concrete, and it needed substantial bracing. A deep hole is better.

Kind what he said. If you use wood get it below frost line. Where I live its about 2 1/2 feet to be up to code for load bearing structures (decks etc) but we rarely get snow or really cold weather.
If you angled the posts outward would that do anything to lessen the stress on them?

I made it home for lunch and just measured the posts. The two frontmost posts (the ones farthest from the fence as seen in this post) are 17' apart. The distance between each of those posts and the one closest to the fence is 12'.

So, the triangle is 12' x 12' x 17'.

If I were to do it again, I would make the short sides a little longer so I would have some more options. In the pics in the post above, you'll also see that about 13" from the top of the posts (remember, they're buried 30"), I drilled through each one and put eye hooks to make hanging easier with just a carabiner. I also have some rope loops on each eye hook that allows me to hang shorter hammocks by just clipping them onto the rope loop.

This setup has worked very well for our family. As I said before, if anyone wants more info, let me know.

These replies have been incredibly helpful, and I thank you all for posting.
The uprights need to be quite a bit deeper than I thought—looks like 3-4 feet. That sure seems like a lot, but I know there’s a lot of “pull”. I measured my space, and could easily do 17 foot spread on the uprights: this would be to span a kidney bean shaped patio I have out there already. Is 17 feet too far post-to-post?
The pergola idea is a great one—don’t know if blocking the sky is good or no[t. It sure would be prettier when not in hammock that way. I gotta think about that one. Also, the idea about sleeves in the ground and pulling out at will to mow, replace the wood, etc., is an interesting and good one. Also, if I can find 6x6’s (hard to find, I think), the three post triangle is superb—one more post, can add two more hammocks! Great idea! Thanks for photos. And Opie did chime in, I gotta watch your videos again. Thanks

Loads to think about—keep ideas coming if anyone has more, and thank you.

Is 17 feet too far post-to-post?
The pergola idea is a great oneódonít know if blocking the sky is good or no[t.

Just keep in mind that as distance increases the higher you have to hang your hammock supports to get the desired 30 degree angle. If you plan on doing a top rail to keep the posts from bending in, lumber comes in standard 2' increments with the most common (read easily available at local big box hardware stores) longest board length is 16'.

One last thing to note is that tree huggers don't work as well on square posts as they do on round trees with bark.

Also, if I can find 6x6ís (hard to find, I think), the three post triangle is superbóone more post, can add two more hammocks!

As mentioned by BrianWillan below, the farther apart you go, the higher you'll want to hang your straps. 17 feet hasn't been a problem at all for me. If you're nervous, you could always go with something like 15 feet to be safe. If I were to do it again, the main thing I would change is I wouldn't do 12 foot sections again. That just doesn't leave much room for larger hammocks / tarps.

As for finding 6x6's, I had no problem finding them at both Home Depot and Lowe's here. They had several lengths as well.

Originally Posted by coolkayaker1

Is that what you'd do again, same height? Thanks for getting out the tape measure again.

I'll have to get the tape again to say for sure exactly how much is sticking up. I haven't had a need for a support bar going across the top (yet?), so I'm happy with the height. I'm able to hang hammock and tarp from the posts without any problems.

Originally Posted by BrianWillan

One last thing to note is that tree huggers don't work as well on square posts as they do on round trees with bark.

Great point! I've been using dutch clips on my tree huggers. If I put the dutch clip right in the corner of the post and pull tight, they seem to stay fine. If I don't give it a good tug, they have slipped about an inch or two before I could get into the hammock. Once in the hammock, I haven't had any problems. Just in case, I also added the eye hooks for easy attachment of the hammocks to the posts.